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Voigtländer Vito B
The Vito B is an attractive and compact 35mm viewfinder made by Voigtländer and produced between 1954-60. It has the fine Color-Skopar 50mm f/3.5 or f/2.8 lens (a four element Tessar-type) in a 4-speed Pronto or 8-speed Prontor shutter. Shutter The Vito B was equipped with either a 4-speed Pronto (B, 1/25th, 1/50th, 1/100th, and 1/200th sec)Denton, Voigtlander Vito B. or 8-speed (B, 1, 1/2, 1/5th, 1/10th, 1/25th, 1/50th, 1/100th, and 1/300th sec) Prontor SVS shutter, the 4-speed shutter being discontinued in 1957.Voigtlander Vito Cameras - Vito B. The shutter is cocked by the film engaging a sprocket wheel, preventing double exposure, and so will not cock if there is not a film present;South 2001. this has led some to mistakenly diagnose the shutter of a working Vito B as broken. The self-timer mechanism can be engaged by moving the synchronising lever to the V (green) position; however, given the age of the camera and the weak governing spring, Denton, Voigtlander Vito B using this feature is discouraged, as it can cause the camera to stop working. Nine times out of ten, a non working self timer is due to muck, not springs. There is a watch mechanism that controls the self timer, but, unlike a watch, it is not effectively sealed. Nearly all cameras with Prontor or Compur mechanisms need regular cleaning if they are used regularly. Even the shutter timing mechanism is clockwork and it only takes a speck of dust to jam it. People then start ripping them apart, usually from the wrong end and end up with a pile of non working bits. Aesthetics and ergonomics The Vito B's body is compact and rounded, a look characterised as "cute".Elek 2008. It has some nice features including a hinged baseplate for easy loading (which also releases the back) and a milled film counter that counts down rather than up. The Vito B body existed in two versions, the first one (1954-57) had a small viewfinder and low profile top plate. The later version (1957-60) had a larger bright-frame viewfinder; while brighter and more useful than the original Vito B's viewfinder, some enthusiasts feel that this spoiled the appearance of the camera.Keith South, Voigtlander Vito B, skopar f/2.8, 35mm camera c1954. Specifications Voigtländer Vito B 04.JPG Voigtländer Vito B 02.JPG 10736514755_958c764857_o.jpg|Voigtlander Vito-B f2.8 Skopar|link=https://www.flickr.com/photos/78182233@N03/10736514755/in/album-72157660110327656/ *Embossing on the top plate: Vito B *Lens:Color-Skopar 50mm f/3.5 filter slip-on *Aperture: f/3.5-f/22 setting: ring and scale on the lens, turns with the speed ring, according to Light Values 2-18, separate setting possible by a knob on the lens *Focus range: 1-20m + inf *Focusing: manual front element focusing, guess the distance *Shutter: Prontor-SVS leaf shutter, speeds: 1-1/300 +B. The shutter is cocked by the film engaging sprocket wheel, preventing double exposure, so will not cock if there is not a film in the camera. This has led some to mistakenly diagnose the shutter of a working Vito B as broken. *Setting : ring and scale on the lens, turns with the aperture ring, according to Light Values 2-18, separate setting possible by a knob on the lens *Shutter release: on the top plate, w/cable release socket *Cocking lever: long stroke, on the back of the camera *Frame counter: manual reset by milled film counter reseting ring on the front of the bottom plate, counts down, counter window at the center front of the top plate *Viewfinder: large 1/1 size crystal bright-frame viewfinder on tall housing *Re-wind knob: on the left of the top plate, a pop-up knob by a small lever on left side of the camera *Re-wind release: unlocks when the re-wind knob pops-up *Flash PC socket: on the left of the lens flange *Flash sync: X and M, sets by a lever on the left of the lens flange *Cold-shoe *Self-timer: set the synchronising lever to the V (green) *Back cover: hinged, a part of the bottom plate folds open to facilitate the exchange of the film cartridge as well as to open the camera's back door *Tripod socket: 1/4" (actually a 3/8" socket with a pre-installed 1/4" adapter) *Strap knobs *Body: metal; Weight: 610g Voigtländer Vito B 06.JPG Voigtländer Vito B 07.JPG Voigtländer Vito B 08.JPG Voigtländer Vito B 05.JPG Other models of B series *Voigtländer Vito BL *Voigtländer Vito BR Notes Links In English: *in UK Camera http://www.ukcamera.com/classic_cameras/voigt11b.htm *in Voigtlander Collection http://voigtlander.pagesperso-orange.fr/cadresA.htm *in Doppeld http://home.wtnet.de/~ddrescher/voigtlaender/index.htm * Matt Denton, Voigtlander Vito B. * Daniel Jiménez, Voigtlander Vito B. * Mike Elek (2008), Voigtlander Vito B. * Keith South (2001), Voigtlander Vito B survey. Living Image Camera Museum. * Keith South, Voigtlander Vito B, 35mm camera c1954. In French: * On www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand : ** Voigtlander Vito B ** Voigtlander Vito B ** Voigtlander Vito B ** Voigtlander Vito B ** Vito B], Vito B user manual: German and French Category: German 35mm viewfinder Category: German 35mm rangefinder Category: Voigtländer Category: V